The oxygen is now running. It took the oxygen and only one very small dose of Morphine to relieve the heart pain this morning. Since then Mary Ann has been in bed 100% of th time. She did not want to sit up any of the times we asked her today. She seldom moves at all, but just lies still, with her eyes open most of the time.

Daughter Lisa and I changed her while she remained lying in bed. At this point it is not so much how difficult it is to help her in the bathroom but how hard it is on her for us to drag her around that has led us to that approach. Each thing in its time. We now have briefs that tape on the sides.

Mary Ann did take some sips of water at various times. Earlier today, she ate a single serving container of tapioca. That has been the sum and substance of her nourishment today.

Words are few and far between and barely audible when they come. We have given up trying to give her any medicine. She just can’t/won’t take it.

Daughter Lisa was due to leave tomorrow. She has decided to stay longer. Our Son-in-Law Denis will be arriving tomorrow evening. He will stay a day and then take the girls with him back to Louisville, KY. Gratefully, he has a huge, very close family there, with lots of Sisters and Nieces waiting in line to help with the girls while he is at work.

Needless to say, I am relieved that she will be here at least for a while as this new reality sets in. Lisa has been a Certified Nurses’ Assistant [CNA] and later an Administrator of a large multi-level Senior Care complex. She is checking carefully for any red spots that could develop into pressure sores, making sure her Mom is shifted regularly.

Son Micah opted to come for the day today. He dropped out of a BBQ contest in which he was enrolled to spend the day here. This is hard on both of the kids. We are all helpless to do anything about this, so we just hang out together, staying close to Mary Ann. This could go on for some weeks. The kids will have the challenge of determining when to be here and when to be taking care of their primary responsibility to their respective families (who are wonderful and understanding).

I was planning on attending a wedding this evening and offering the mealtime prayer at the reception. In fact, that was one of the reasons Daughter Lisa had planned on returning home on Sunday rather than Saturday, so that she could stay with her Mom, allowing me to be away from the house for the wedding. When all those plans were made, none of us had a clue about what would be happening.

We have seen a Guiding Hand in the way things have been playing out. Mary Ann’s decline came on suddenly only days before Lisa’s scheduled visit. The girls were scheduled for a sleepover with friends, so they were not here last night to be disturbed by the Hospice Nurse and the oxygen delivery. When there are huge things that are out of control, it is not unusual to notice little gifts that come along the way. They are signs that we are not alone in this journey.

Tonight’s wedding was the wedding of Christine and James. Chrissy will soon be an ordained Pastor. I have enjoyed watching her grow in her commitment to that service. On occasion when she was in town, as she began and continued her training, we would talk over coffee. Those conversations always stretched me intellectually and Spiritually. She has been in Africa a couple of times trying to make a difference for good. She has a view of humanity that is not limited by national boundaries or ethnicity.

I didn’t like missing the wedding, but, just as I mentioned in an earlier post when I had to miss Katie and Jacob’s wedding, while they spoke their vows I was doing what they were promising.

Time for some rest.

If you want to write a comment about this or any of the posts on this blog, look to the column on the right side of this page, titled “Recent Posts,” click on the name of a post and you will find a box at the end of that article in which you can write a comment. Clicking on the title of the post you are reading will accomplish the same thing. Comments are appreciated.

Thanks, Diana. You and Rachel provided just what was needed at a good time. Mary Ann got to celebrate her family and remember times from even before we started dating. It gave her pleasure to have you and Rachel here and the affirmation of her part in the Mizel clan, her roots. That was the gift she needed. Now she can be on her way when she is ready. Thanks again.
Uncle Pete